REALLY ROSES, with ROBIN JENNINGS OF OREGON-BASED HEIRLOOM (ROSES)
- Jennifer Jewell
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
Roses are one of those topics in the garden world: They can be polarizing, they can be energizing, and yet given that there are roses native to most environments of North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, and humans have revered them for millennia, they can also be connective tissue for so much–generationally, culturally, environmentally, medicinally, and certainly, aesthetically.
This week I am joined by Robin Jennings, rosarian and manager at Heirloom formerly known as Heirloom Roses in St. Paul, Oregon. We explore why roses should maybe be part of the garden of your dreams.
AS anyone who has listened to Cultivating Place for any length of time – Roses are among my garden happy places. I love nearly all of them.
Robin Jennings and Heriloom are dedicated to helping us all grow the gardens of our dreams, which inherently includes contributing to the ecological and cultural health of our communities.
From Robin’s garden and experience at Heirloom on annual rose care, she recommends:
"Pruning, twice a year, once in fall to about 1/3 the plant's height, and once in early spring, but a deeper prune this time. For fertilizing, I love Heirloom’s Founder’s Fish Fertilizer twice a month. Good for potted roses or garden planted ones. Plus its natural and won't burn the roots."
In my small town garden, I have at least 9 full size climbing and shrub roses, one named Sheila’s Perfume, which I planted in honor of my mother who died in 1998 at the age of 55 from a long battle with breast cancer. In her adulthood, she always wore Tea Rose Perfume. This week’s conversation is for her, the gardener who grew me.
So do you love 'em, do you hate ‘em? Do you think they’re fussy, or old school? Maybe. But in so many ways, they are the real deal OG garden staple. From beautiful flowers, medicinal natures, habitat value galore, Robin Jennings joins us this week to share her belief that roses really are the way…
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All photos courtesy of Heirloom; all rights reserved.
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JOIN US again next week, we continue with our theme of May flowers in conversation once again with Christin Geall, gardener and Garden Culture thinker. Christin’s newest book is Flora Culture: How Flowers Shape our World. It’s a surprising study for May. Join us! That's right here, next week. Listen in!
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Thinking out loud this week...
Hey, it's Jennifer—
I love roses, they are my mother, my grandmothers, my first garden in Seattle Washington’s Ballard neighborhood, and my current garden with John in a quiet canyon in Northern California. They are food, medicine, beauty, and fragrance. Just like our human companions, they do not have to be nor should they be fussy or difficult; rather, when well-chosen for their temperaments and preferred conditions, they will love you just as you love them for many, many happy years of buds, blooms, and the most glorious hips. And who does not love all of that?
Last week we had a fantastic first Cultivating Place Book Club gathering around Brenna Estrada’s 2025 book on Pansies – an enlightening and surprising book on the overlooked underappreciated attributes of these
humble easy to grow and cheerful as anything flowers. This is such a perfect illustration of one of the Garden’s greatest gifts – always having something new to teach us, to share with us, to remind us of.
And, the, often overlooked, beauty of the ordinary is high on that list. Look around – what are you taking for granted in your gardens and green spaces? The simple elegance of light through the newly leafed trees are enough to remind you of the richness of every day on this generous planet. See it, appreciate it, let it fill you with Gratitude and Dedication to care more and better for all of it.
We are the gardeners, this is our job: love the growing world, care for and protect the growing world, and grow the world as a result. Stay tuned for our upcoming gathering topics – in May, we’ll gather around Terry Tempest William’s newest book The Glorians, In June, we’ll be back to preparing for the our solstice intentions and commitments as gardeners growing this world. For all upcoming Cultivating Place gatherings please join us over at cultivatingplace.org/gather.
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The CP team includes producer and engineer Matt Fidler, with weekly tech and web support from Angel Huracha, weekly communications support by Sheila Stern and Carley Bruckner, and regular hosting by Founder, Jennifer Jewell, as well as Abra Lee in Atlanta, Georgia, and Ben Futa in South Bend, Indiana. We’re based on the traditional and present homelands of the Mechoopda Indian Tribe of the Chico Rancheria. Original theme music is by Ma Muse..
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